The change came about after Ted Mills died. Also Roy Guthrie who was a long time employee of the owner had predeceased Ted, and then Clayton Beaty, owner of the company, died and it passed on to his inheritors. Clayton Beaty was a good man and he sold that mixture for many, many years.

If you do a search, old American Rose Society monthly magazines had a column from Howard Walters who published his own (very close) version of MMM. Howard's version had it by the plant and by the wheelbarrow full.

In my part of the world, most of the ingredients are available from Southern States Coop, from Farmer's Co-ops, etc.

I mixed my own because I chose to do without the Milorganite. My main ingredient has been cottonseed meal because it's more readily available here. Gypsum and bone meal and blood meal and compost are readily available.

From my time in Houston, I remember Carl Pool bloom buster fertilizer which I used to force about thirty roses up here to give enough blooms for a niece's wedding bouquet, her bridemaid's bouquets, coursages, boutineers (however that's spelled), a top piece for the wedding cake and some table centerpieces. It was a new garden back then and only five beds of roses most of them two years old.

I had gotten it by mail from ??east Texas.

Carl Pool's still out there, fancier than ever.

Hi Stillann, i knew part of the Beaty story but you filled in the gaps. I originally read about Beaty in an ARS newsletter back when my children were babies (now in there 40’s). Much later I switched to the Southwest Fertilizer verson (when I lived in Houston). They developed an excellent premix like Mills... mixing seperates in that wheelbarrel became quite an effort, as was storing and lifting the ingrediants. When I moved to Dallas I went back to Mills. The premix is the option now for my aching back. (pushed around too many sofas and cabinets in my Designing and lifted too many 40 lb bags in my hobby.) Because of recent Austin move I will probably revert back to the SW Fertlizer verion when I ground plant again. .

i remember Carl Poole and used it when I did a lot of pot plants. Thanks! I will try it. BR12 and Color Star were my other condideration but like you, I recall good results from Carl.

Are you aware that one of the TV apps, maybe Netfixs, stold your handle for a miniseries? I have not seen it but it looks like a heavy watch; hope no personal relationship. 😍😎

I bet that was a beautiful wedding. You should post some pictures here Ann, for those Rosarians with daughters or grandaughters. Many would enjoy seeing them.